The Artwork Project That Almost Wasn’t Because I’m Not Martha Stewart

Before I go any further, check out this cool interview I got to be a part of with my friend Jen over at Me Myself and Jen.We were invited into chef Jaime Laurita’s home and I got to take the pictures and act all photographer-y. And there is a giveaway too!An autographed package of Jaime’s pasta line.I just made some last night for dinner and it was AMAZING.

I think that spring has missed the Midwest this year.
All y’all (in my head I am southern ) in other parts of the country are getting spring weather.
Like the sun and above 55-degree weather.
And I am seeing evidence of it on your Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages.
Even some areas of the Midwest are getting it.
But my section of the Midwest isn’t.

This was our forecast last week: Rain/ cold; rain/ cold/ windy; rain/ cold/windy/ lightning.
Then we got a “reprieve” of a 65-degree day on Sunday.
Yeah.
In the suburb where I live?
The high was 49.
The other areas?
70.
WHAT THE?????The upsides of the weekend?
Listening to my five-year-old sing “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie.
Reading Andy Cohen’s book, my early birthday gift from my friend Jen and I was up half the night reading it.
Getting a pep talk from my friend Rebecca on Sunday.
I love you, friend.
More than what is “normal”.

I have been known to make mistakes.
More than what is considered “normal” by most accounts.
But I do admit to them.
Most of the time.

So I made a little mistake.
A fail if you will.
I had the best intentions.
It came to me while I was at Hobby Lobby buying the pillow covers for the pillows I “sewed”.
I saw this sitting innocently on an end cap:

A black foam poster board.
I saw it and immediately saw potential beyond a 4th-grade science project, which I am sure these are made for in the first place.
I could make a homemade subway art sign!
Yes!
That’s it!

My mind was racing with all the “ingredients” I would need…..just chipboard letters (I don’t know why it had to be chipboard. Don’t question my mind. I haven’t in forty years and it has served me well), and some spray paint. And mod podge.

YES, MOD PODGE!!

I sprinted (sadly, I actually did sprint) to the other side of the store and picked up some of these:

Chipboard letters in capital and lowercase.
I didn’t care what the design on them was because I was planning on painting over them.
And they were on sale 50% off!!
My plan is coming together beautifully!!!

So I had this vision in my head.
Subway Art.
Subway Art.
S u B w A y A r T.

Umm.
OK.
How do I achieve this look??

I arranged the chipboard letters…

I might have had a little help…..

And placed the letters on the foam board in different styles.

And deleted the picture where I made a bad word with my chipboard letters.Spelled out on my subway art.
Let’s just say it rhymed with ton of a witch.

The five-year-old was not part of the dirty word arranging.
I am bad but not that bad.

So it wasn’t as easy as I thought.
I ended up selling out and just doing the plain old alphabet.Boring.

After I settled for the alphabet arrangement, I mod podged the letters onto the foam board.
Great idea, right?
WRONG.

Because this happened:

You see?
See the glaring mistake?
Yep.
This is what dried mod podge looks like.
On black foam poster board.
I wanted to cry.
Because I just threw away 10 bucks on supplies.

I wasn’t ready to concede defeat yet.

I decided I was going to spray paint it.
Yes.
YES.
Spray paint will save my butt!
It is always there for me, it doesn’t let me down and it knows me.
Yes, my old friend Rustoleum was gon’ save the day.

So I hauled my mess outside and spray painted it with some paint I had leftover from a furniture redo
After three coats of paint, here is the final product.

So let me start of by saying that had I known better I would never write this to you, but I don't so here it goes. I'm so beyond jealous of your craftiness (is that a real word?) I so wish that I had at least one artsy bone in my body. The stuff that you've created is so amazing. You're amazing!. If we lived in the same state I would either rob you of all your cool stuff or pay you to make me cool stuff depending on my financial situation at the moment. Most likely rob cause I wouldn’t even know what to tell you to make me (see no imagination) and than show it off on my blog as "look at the gift that Grace-full-life gave me"!!! Isn’t she amazing!!!

Ok, so dumb question because I think that's pretty cool actually, but had you put Modge Podge on the letters and then letters on the foam, would it have worked? Because some of us are less than crafty. But this is cool. And I REALLY want an excuse to use spray paint because shhhh I never have before!

Welcome!

“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.”

-Sue Monk Kidd

“Humor is healing.”

-Bonnie Hunt

“Well, you think what you want about me, I’m not changing. I like me…’Cause I’m the real article. What you see is what you get.”

-Del Griffith

“All of these lines across my face tell you the story of who I am. So many stories of where I’ve been and how I got to where I am. But these stories don’t mean anything when you’ve got no one to tell them to.”